A spring of youth and variety

From April 13 to 22, the air over the Polish sea will be filled with music, as Gdańsk holds its annual "Gdańska Wiosna" festival - one of the country's largest celebrations of "serious music."

Organizers say the name of festival - Gdańsk Spring - refers not only to calendar season but also to the age of the performing artists. "There should be youth and variety. Our aim is to promote young, gifted artists who are on their way to world-class careers but who are not well known yet," says Marek Więcławek from Cappella Gedanensis, the festival's organizer.

Those attending the festival will be able to see young but already acclaimed violinists, pianists and conductors performing on the stage of the philharmonic in Gdańsk. Since, along with celebrating young artists, the festival looks to achieve variety, there will be a whole range of musical flavors to feast on - from Bach to Gershwin.

The star of the inaugural concert of this ninth edition of the festival will be violinist Agata Szymczewska, the winner of this year's International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition.

On the following days, concerts will be performed by artists such as violinist Suyoen Kim, the winner of International Violin Contest in Hannover, and pianist Levit, who won the 11th International Arthur Rubinstein Piano Master Competition in Tel Aviv in four categories.

As the festival originated from the violin seminars conducted by professor Krzysztof Węgrzyn, the participants of this year's seminar, which will accompany the festival, will perform in special concerts.

For more information log on to www.gedanensis.pl/gdanskawiosna